how to cook frozen bacon in the air fryer with the easiest way

If you are feeling hungry for a greasy, meaty, smoky, and crunchy Bacon recipe, you have come to the right place. For a lot of people, bacon is the most appetizing thing that they experience throughout their day. It is a highly nutritious energy-packed food that will grant you a delicious meal as well as wake nostalgic feelings of childhood memory breakfasts.

A lot of people like their bacon made as simple as possible. Basically, put them into an oily frying pan and cook on each side until it gets golden and hard. This works and it is highly enjoyable, although if you haven’t tried using an air fryer for cooking your frozen bacon, you are about to discover a truly mouth-watering recipe. Trust me.

This recipe has been experimented with until it reached its taste satisfactory peak. There are many advantages and benefits to why it’s better than others and it is simply because using a household air fryer will result in a healthier option, it is quick and convenient with a stronger crispy texture, and makes a lot less mess when cooking.

Ingredients:

• Prep time: 5 min
• Cooking time: 20 minutes

Nutrition information:

Serving Size: 4 slices

• Total Fat: 10g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 5 mg
• Sodium: 170 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 0 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0 g
  • Total Sugars: 0 g
• Protein: 5 g

Amount Per Serving: 70 Calories 

A step-by-step guide to cooking frozen bacon in an air fryer

The air fryer is a fantastic method to get the flavor and crispiness of fried bacon without the extra fat. Properly preparing the bacon in advance is crucial for achieving a uniformly cooked and crisp result in the oven. For the most successful results, it is enough to follow us step by step!

How to Prepare Frozen Bacon for Air Frying

Equipment:

• Air fryer
• Sharp knife
• Plate or cutting board
• Paper towels

Ingredients:

• Frozen bacon slices
• Seasonings such as black pepper, paprika, or garlic powder

Bacon thawing (optional)

It’s recommended, but not required, to thaw frozen bacon before cooking to ensure more equal cooking. The bacon can be thawed in the fridge overnight or in the microwave on the defrost setting.

If you don’t have time to defrost the bacon before cooking it, you can still do so in an air fryer. In that case, the cooking time should be increased by only a minute or two.

How to Cook Frozen Bacon in an Air Fryer

Step 1: Preheat the air fryer

Before adding the bacon, preheat the air fryer for 3 to 5 minutes at 375 ℉. With the air fryer appropriately heated, the bacon will be cooked to perfection.

Step 2: Divide the bacon into the right sizes

It’s possible you’ll need to halve the frozen bacon pieces to get them to fit in the basket of your air fryer. To dice the bacon, you’ll need a sharp knife.
Pro Tip: The bacon will cook more evenly if you cut it into smaller pieces.

Step 3: Sprinkle some seasoning (optional)

Frozen bacon can be seasoned before being cooked to improve its flavor. Black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika are all very well-liked flavors.

Pro Tip: Bacon is already quite salty, so it’s best not to add any extra. Bacon can become overly salty if too much salt is added.

Step 4: Set up the bacon in the air fryer.

Place the bacon in the air fryer basket in a single layer. It’s not a good idea to stack the slices on top of each other because that can lead to uneven cooking.
Pro Tip: The bacon will cook more evenly if you cook it in smaller batches if there is a lot of it.

Step 5: Cook the bacon

Air-fried the bacon for 8-10 minutes, adjusting time for thinner or thicker slices as needed.

To ensure that both sides of the bacon are cooked thoroughly, flip the pieces halfway through.

Cook the bacon for an extra minute or two if you like it crispier. If you don’t want your bacon to burn, constantly keep an eye on it as it cooks.

Step 6: It’s time to take the bacon out of the air fryer

After the desired doneness has been reached, remove the basket from the air fryer and place the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Any grease that may have been produced can be absorbed by this.
Pro Tip: Bacon can be kept warm by placing it in a low-temperature oven or covering it with foil while cooking more batches.

Step 7: Enjoy the meal!

Hold out on serving the bacon for a couple of minutes as it cools. You can eat it by itself or sprinkle it on your favorite foods.

Delicious bacon can be made from frozen using an air fryer if you follow these instructions. The method is straightforward, and the seasoning can be adjusted to taste. Experience the same deliciousness of fried bacon without guilt!

how long to cook frozen bacon in an air fryer

Generally, the time when cooking frozen bacon in an air fryer depends on the texture and thickness of the bacon. In this recipe, however, since we’ve sliced it in thin pieces, it is going to take about 10 minutes on each side, resulting in 20 minutes in total.

Time plays a very important factor in getting this recipe just right. Because it is frozen you are basically unfreezing the bacon and then cooking it. If you mess up the timer, you’ll end up with a cooked surface and a cold frozen core. So make sure that you set up a timer, lay out the thin pieces evenly, and flip them at the 10-minute mark to get that crunchy and oily mouthfeel just right.

can you put frozen bacon in the air fryer without defrosting

Yes, you can put frozen bacon in the air fryer without defrosting it and actually, it is encouraged to do so because it is a major benefit of this recipe saving you a lot of time and resulting in a much crispy and evenly baked bacon.

The defrosting effect will take place just as you place the meat inside the pre-heated air fryer but you do need to keep an eye out for your bacon as it cooks and time the flip just right. You don’t want to burn your previously frozen bacon!

Different potential recipes and ingredient changes

Preparing frozen bacon in an air fryer can be done in a number of different ways so that you can customize the process to your personal preferences or dietary restrictions. Here are some suggestions for alternative ingredients and cooking methods:

1. Turkey Bacon:

Turkey Bacon is a healthier alternative to traditional bacon since it has less fat and fewer calories. The fat and calorie content of turkey bacon is lower than that of hog bacon.

2. Maple-Glazed Bacon

You can give the bacon a savory and sweet twist by brushing it with a maple glaze before cooking. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, and a dash of salt. Before putting the bacon in the air fryer, brush it with the glaze.

3. Covered with Bacon: Asparagus

Try cooking some bacon-wrapped asparagus in the air fryer for a tasty side dish. Wrap the asparagus spears with bacon strips that have been cut in half lengthwise. Cook the wrapped asparagus for 8-10 minutes on the air fryer.

4. Dressing for a BLT Salad

You may make a healthy and tasty salad with the air fryer bacon. Make a salad by mixing together lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Crumble some bacon and drizzle on some dressing.

These are just some alternatives to the standard method of frying frozen bacon inside an air fryer. You may easily alter the recipe to your liking and dietary restrictions with just a little creativity.

How can I make my air fryer frozen bacon more delicious?

If you want to go that extra mile in this frozen bacon air fryer recipe to make it even more delicious, there are several things that you can do.

First of all, keep a very close eye on the time and temperature of cooking. That means that if your bacon feels slightly more cooked prior to that 10-minute mark, you will adjust your temperature or cooking time in total.

When placing the bacon inside the air fryer, do not just toss it inside as a whole piece. Instead line the slices of bacon individually into the air fryer basket.

Flipping the bacon is the key to true mouth-watering satisfaction, however. You are looking for that golden crispy texture that comes in around 10 minutes. So keep a timer with you, and flip it accordingly so that it gets cooked evenly.

Upon cooking, using a bacon rack is advised so all of that excess oil will get removed and the meat will be ready for serving.

how to defrost bacon fast

Just in case you might have missed it before, but you do not need to actually defrost your bacon before you pop it inside the air fryer. Although if you are wondering, there are several methods that you can take to actually defrost your bacon if you forgot to leave it out of the freezer the night prior.

You can use the cold water method, or simply place the frozen bacon in a leak-proof plastic bag and then just toss it inside the cold water until the bacon is thawed and unfrozen. If you happen to have a microwave, just put it into defrost method and set it to work for about 3 minutes.

Best frozen bacon you can buy

The best-frozen bacon that we have used for our cooking throughout this recipe and that we definitely recommend that you try out for yourself is the 365 by Whole Foods Market, Pork Bacon Center Cut Smokehouse Uncured Reduced Sodium, 12 Ounce.

This is simply a top-notch quality type of bacon that isn’t overly salty as you might experience from different types of this meat. It cooks very nicely and its texture is superb, almost as if it was made for an air frying method.

The air fryer we are using to cook frozen bacon 

Another key to this recipe is undoubtedly the fryer you use. We use the COSORI Smart Air Fryer, 6.4L. It provides great convenience thanks to its double heating system and 12 preset programs. It can also reduce the calories of food by up to 85% over conventional deep fryers.

Smaller sizes of air fryers are also available from the same brand, you can choose whichever suits you best!

Wrap-up

If you want crispy bacon but don’t feel like dealing with the mess of stovetop cooking, consider cooking some frozen bacon in an air fryer. If you follow these directions, you’ll have properly cooked bacon in no time.

Briefly, you should begin by thawing the bacon and flavoring it, if you so choose. Start by preheating the air fryer to 375 ℉ and chopping up some bacon into manageable pieces. Spread the bacon out in a single layer inside the air fryer’s basket and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, turning it over once. This tasty and crispy bacon is perfect on its own or as a wonderful addition to your favorite dishes.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve already tried this recipe, and be sure to forward it along to your friends and family so they can give it a shot, too!